Life As a  WILD Blaziken, aka Blazer's Story
by Tira ShadowHeart
Summary: Blazer is just your stereotypical stubborn, single female, intimidating, powerful dominant Blaziken over however much land she can keep invaders from stealing. That is, until a sweettalking tame Blaziken comes along...
1. Escape

I loved being a Blaziken.

To be able to have so much power, so much authority…

I ruled this part of the wild. I had complete control. If any challenged me for my Alpha position, I easily beat them. I was able to walk, run, attack like a raptor, and was always completely in control, always adamant. Trainers walked past, some challenged me, but I easily beat their Pokemon.

One day however, all of that was changed.

I was only 15, easily a teenager in human terms. I was young enough to be caught and trained, young enough to mate. However, I rejected such concepts. I was my own Pokemon, and nothing could ever change that.

Or so I thought.

A young Pokemon Trainer came up to me. I was relaxing in my little hammock, and could see him easily through one half-shut eye, though he thought he was sneaking up on me. I decided I would like the look on his face when I suddenly sprang to life, so I pretended to be asleep.

"Look Ziken, she hasn't seen us yet…" he whispered to a Pokemon I couldn't see. I had the sudden impression that someone was on my other side. I turned over.

A fully grown male Blaziken was standing right there, looking straight at me. It didn't growl, nor attack, nothing. Just stood, eyeing me.

"Yeah, she's a beauty, isn't she Ziken?" the boy whispered. "Alright, go for it."

I jumped up and landed on top of a tree branch I had landed on so many times ago. The boy looked stricken, the Blaziken as if this were a chase, he the predator and I the prey.

_Nobody makes me the prey,_ I thought angrily, and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower. A local Zigzagoon family ran for cover.

"Look at that power," the boy breathed. "Something for kids to inherit."

I finally got it, and ran for my life. No _way_ was some overly enthusiastic _tame_ Blaziken making me his _mate!!!_

The Blaziken was following, so I leaped onto a ledge on a cliff that only I knew was there. I moved a boulder and went inside the small cave, moving the boulder back as the Blaziken jumped up after me.

I turned around and crawled through the cave, into a tight-fitting tunnel, at least for me. Teen Blaziken aren't meant to go through such a small hole in the ground!! But if I wanted to remain free, I had no choice. I continued crawling, and found myself in my private little secluded area, still underground. Other Pokemon knew of this larger, roomier cave, as there was a passageway to the surface, but only I knew of the passageway to the ledge. I took a slate of rock and pushed it into the passageway I had just come through. I took another and kept piling them up, stuffed into the hole, until it was completely filled right to the top. So what if the Blaziken had found that tiny cave behind the _so_-out-of-place boulder? So what if he had found the tiny little hole? If he tried to follow it, he'd get stuck, and besides, he'd probably think it belonged to some small group of Rattata or something. I shook my head, amused. _Tame_ Pokemon have absolutely _no idea_ how things work out here in the wild. And anyway, if he managed to get to this side of the tiny tunnel, he'd meet a dead-end. And you can't back up in that tunnel, unless you can turn around. I should know; I've tried.

I relaxed, closing up the passageway to the surface for now. I hoped that would cut off my scent. Males in the mating season can become extremely desperate, and if it came to that, I was confident I could defeat him. I was dominant; I was Alpha, over all local Pokemon!! How could that make me weaker??

A couple hours later I awoke. A strange scent reached my nose, and I was instantly up and alert. Once I was alert, I became aware of a strangled creature's desperate cries. They were coming from the hole, the passageway to the ledge.

My memory came back in a rush. _No _way_ was he _that_ stupid,_ I thought, but all the same removed the slates.

The eyes of a weak, saddened face of a Blaziken met mine.

"So you _were_ that stupid!!" I cried aloud, laughing. "You got stuck!! I almost can't believe what I'm seeing!! If I'm slimmer than you and can _hardly_ make it through, what made you think you could get all the way –"

My overconfidence was met with a strangled cry of anger. He tried to haul his way out, and my laughter was cut off as I saw that _he had widened the tunnel!!_

_Oh great. Hoenn, forgive me, I'm stupid._ I ran over to the wider passageway to the surface, and crawled through, jumping out. I ran for the mountains in the distance, hoping that I would make it to the next human city before that overly desperate excuse for a Blaziken pulled himself free.

I heard a roar of triumph behind me, and ran straight for the river, hoping he'd lose my scent. I waded upstream, touching every plant I could reach, and then ducked below them all to go the opposite way, not touching any plants downstream. I had picked up this trick from the local pack of Mightyena.

Hours later, I finally pulled myself free of the river, a couple miles out of my territory, sodden and soaked to the bones. I dragged my shivering self toward an abandoned den, or as far as I could smell. I hid under it, hoping the cold would go away and wondering if this was really all worth it.


	2. A Coming Storm

"Hey, Blazer. You've been away a while."

I groaned and opened an eye, to see the face of a very annoying Sceptile.

"I here you've been chased out of your territory by a _tame_ Blaziken. Come on, you've _never_ acted that weak. So what were you running from? Superior power?" –

"Don't start that," I growled angrily. "It was a male _I'm_ running from."

"Ah, mating season," the Sceptile sighed. "I thought I told you to fight it out, not hide in _my_ territory any time a male catches your scent."

"Oh, shut it, Cepti," I said, recognizing the teasing tone of his voice. "It would have been more than that. It would have been permanent."

"Oh, hah, hah," Cepti retorted. "Not more of your _fears of the future_ drama crap."

"It was a _tame_ Blaziken," I insisted, trying to get my point across. "Whether he would have liked it or not, and I _know_ I wouldn't have, his Trainer would have caught me. _I_ would be tame right now, if I hadn't pulled the river trick."

"So _that's_ why you look so sick!" he exclaimed. I was shocked, and it must have shown, for he tried to pick me up and drag me into a tree. "Come on. I've got plenty of those healing Berries. You'll be fine in no time."

After a while of grooming (I had noticed that I _was_ pale-colored), I was all set and ready to go. Cepti had loaned me several Sitrus Berries so that I could fight the Blaziken and kick him off my territory. Cepti wished me good luck several times, and off I went.

As soon as I approached the campsite, already far into my territory, I knew they weren't inside. _Those two had better not be hiding somewhere,_ I thought angrily. _I came to fight, and by Hoenn, a fight is what I'm gonna get._

I approached cautiously, aware that, while they weren't directly inside, they could be at either side of me right now, though I smelled nothing. Humans had a way of making themselves disappear, scent-wise, sight-wise, and sound-wise. _Very_ dangerous and unpredictable combination.

Once I was sure they weren't anywhere near their campsite, and had no guards (tame Pokemon and humans were imbeciles like that), I went inside the tent and snatched all of the Poke balls the kid had brought. No _way_ was I putting myself up on auction just like that. I crushed them all with a single Blaze Kick on each foot. Sure, it hurt, but it was better than being caught.

I heard something moving right outside the tent. I cautiously came out, and sighed heavily when my fears were dispelled, as it was only a Furret and her latest litter.

"Stay away from here," I said in Pokemon, "this is a human's camp."

The Furret nodded in agreement and dragged the children out with her.

I sighed again, regretting that I hadn't asserted my dominance and instead had just given her a friendly warning. Maybe Cepti's personality was rubbing off on me. _It can't be that,_ I thought, and went back inside, taking out any supplies the human had brought and crushing, burning, and/or completely obliterating anything the human could use. You never can be too careful.

Sneaking back out, I heard the pair approach from the other side. I carefully and quietly snuck out, and headed for the river again. _Hoenn, please don't kill me with a cold,_ I pleaded, and once more performed the river trick, though I did not leave my territory, straying only to its utmost boundaries.

The local Mightyena pack saw me pulling free of the river, not as completely exhausted as I would have been if I had continued into Cepti's land. I walked over to a tree (wow I could still walk), careful not to show any signs of weakness, and climbed it, settling into a thickened branch a good distance away from the ground, something a tame Blaziken could reach only if jumping. I pulled a couple leaves into a small pile for my head, and quite quickly fell asleep.


	3. Deception?

"I'm sure she was over here, I'm sure of it."

I was hidden at the old oak tree's very top, cursing those Mightyena for betraying me (though I hadn't told them not to, I was sure they wouldn't give me up to a human), and vowing to assert my dominance once this whole fiasco was over.

The tame Blaziken was, very oddly, on his own, but still paying attention, still nodding, still looking up at the tree, knowing I was up there. I knew he could tell from my scent, though I had been certain I had lost him with the river trick.

"Thank you for your time," he growled, and the Mightyena slinked away. A thought hit me: What if they had led the Blaziken here, guessing the cause of my discomfort?? After that thought, I was certain I would rid the pack of their Alpha pair to show dominance, and for what they had done. _Whether they did it or not,_ a tiny part of my brain said to me, bringing me back down to Hoenn.

The Blaziken was still looking up at the tree, and had apparently noticed me, because he started climbing up.

I revealed myself, knowing he could see. I snarled a challenge.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said calmly. "I just want to talk."

"I _know_ what you're here for, you worthless excuse for a Blaziken, and _I don't_ want to talk!!" I shouted back, growling a bit to get my point across.

"Well, if you knew, you wouldn't be hiding," he said, still calm and unfazed.

The 'calm and unfazed' part was starting to get on my nerves. "Leave me alone!!" I shouted, climbing a bit farther up the tree. "I _do_ know, and that's _why_ I'm hiding!!! I live here, and I'm never leaving!!! I'll never be caught and be a tame excuse-for-a-Pokemon like you!!!"

"I'm not a tame Pokemon," he said suddenly, and that brought me back down a bit, but only because I was starting to slip. "My parents were killed and the humans took me in. I didn't like it any more than you ever will. They're trying to release me 'back into the wild', as though I have no instincts. If that's why you're running away, get over yourself."

"I don't care!!" I shouted desperately, starting to lose it, my grip and my sanity. I _hated_ being pressured. "Get out of my territory!!! I am Alpha, I am dominant, I rule this part of the wild, from the edge of the mountains in the North to where the rivers cross in the South to the swamp lands in the East to the desert in the West, now go away!!!"

"Can't you tolerate another Blaziken in this area, at least for a short amount of time??" he demanded. When I didn't answer (only because I now had to grab onto a branch with my beak to stay put), he continued, "I live far away from here, but the humans only brought me here because _you're_ here!! I have a very long trip, and I'd like to have at least a couple days' rest before setting off _across_ the desert to _my_ inherited territory!!!"

I sighed. "Okay, fine, but only for a few nights," I admitted, trying to climb higher but aware that if I did so I would fall out of the tree. He was now in the spot I had been in before I went to sleep last night, and I had to admit, up at the top wasn't _nearly_ as comfortable. Still, I had to get down, at least to the nearest den. Maybe a nearby tree, there was one about half a mile from here that had three comfortable spots, but I would be intruding on Cepti's territory, if only for a half-week.

He looked around, and looked at me. "You're going to fall off and break your neck if you stay up there."

I sighed and came down. Within five feet was as close to a male Blaziken as I had ever been in my life without starting a fight, and it was hard not to. I slipped past him and walked calmly over to the den, now aware that my feet were the sorest they've ever been and I couldn't walk half a mile to get to that tree. The den was a well-rounded place, going about three feet down past ground surface, while the ceiling stayed in the same place, making it wider. I saw that the Mightyena had left their pups in here and realized I would have a fight on my claws with the local pack for entering their current residence unaccompanied, whether I wanted one or not. But right now, by Hoenn, I wanted one badly, to teach them not to give me away to visiting Blaziken. So, I passed my claws over the walls and pet each of the pups gently, knowing that they could sniff out even the lightest of scents. If they didn't fight me they'd be accepting my dominance, and I knew the current Alpha pair of this particular pack wouldn't back down from a fight no matter what, whatever the consequences and reasons of the fight.

Leaving the den, I saw that the Blaziken had come down and was waiting patiently.

"What do you want?" I asked rudely, wanting to show him he was not welcome here.

"Whose is that?" he asked, pointing, ignoring my question. The next moment a loud howl filled the quiet air and scared many a flock into flight, except the Taillow. Many howls answered it, telling me that the Mightyena pack was returning.

"Never mind, just get back up into that tree!!" I said hurriedly. He did so, just as the pack came around. I blocked the way in.

"Get out of our way," the Alpha female, Yena, growled at me.

"I don't think so," I retorted. "You didn't submit to my dominance, I won't submit to yours. That's assuming you have any."

Yena rushed at me, but I caught her by the muzzle and threw her. The Alpha male, Ight, a bit less of an airhead and a Mightyena who had been around longer than Yena and knew who was boss, slowly walked up to me. Instead of forcing his way past or insulting me, both of which I knew Yena would have done if I had thrown Ight, he simply asked, "What have we done that has offended you?"

"You know perfectly well what," I hissed. "You know I don't tolerate other Blaziken in my territory, let alone within hearing distance, and yet you led him right to me despite seeing me go through the trouble of pulling off that river trick to throw him off, to get away."

"I did see you," the Mightyena admitted, "but I did not lead him to you. I had noticed him however, and he noticed me. He approached and demanded to know where you were, and I knew that my pups and pack would be killed if I did not answer truthfully, so I had to tell him."

"You admit rebelling against my dominance?" I implied, realizing that there was more behind this than usual.

"Given the circumstances, I thought you would understand…" He let himself trail off and lowered his head submissively before starting up again, "But word has been going round that you intended to fight him so you could kick him and the human out and display your dominance over this large area of territory."

I became filled with a sudden, uncontrollable rage. Ight, thinking that this was directed at him, heeled and whined, but was corrected when I hissed angrily, "How _dare_ he threaten anyone in _my_ territory!! I assure you, if he kills a single one of you, despite the circumstances of murder, I will assure him a slow, painful death. How _dare_ he threaten _you!!!_"

The pack howled agreement, and I suddenly remembered what I had done to their den. "If you can catch my scent in your den, I was guarding it from him," I lied, thinking that it was worth it. _No one threatens anyone in my territory, no one but me. And I will gladly oblige to a fight. _All trust for him was instantly lost. So he _had_ been lying!!! And this 'few days' rest' nonsense was only so that he could befriend me!!! _He will pay dearly,_ I thought. _Starting with no place to sleep but open ground, and then a confrontation and perhaps a beating, and finally eviction. He will never again set foot on my land without a tremendous battle._


	4. Almost Defeat, Almost Victory

With my mind made up and a plan already formed, I walked calmly, adamantly over to the tree.

"Get down," I commanded. He wasn't listening. "Get down!" I commanded, a little louder. A snore echoed across the canyon. Of course. Sleeping.

_Lazy, worthless little –_ I drew a huge breath, then shouted, "Get _down!!!_"

He turned over and fell out of the branch.

I stifled laughter as he fell and hit the ground with a thud, enough to wake him up. It was kinda hard to stifle it all and I eventually had a bad case of the giggles, definitely _not_ a good image for my dominant self.

He shook himself and walked over to me. "What happened?"

I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it if I was rude, and right then, I wasn't feeling very friendly toward him anyway, so I didn't care. I managed to stand again after falling on the ground with uncontrollable laughter, and wiped my eye for effect before asking, "What did you say?"

He frowned, and decided to stay somewhere on the ground for this night. Perfect, my plan was already in action. Tomorrow I confront him about the problem with the Mightyena, forgetting about the hilarious gut-busting fall he took today, and beat him in a fight, and evict him. _That'll work,_ I thought, still laughing, _so long as you don't crack up at some point in the fight._

I climbed up to where he had been, secured myself with the surrounding branches and vines, and fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning feeling relaxed and refreshed, ready to fight, and, thankfully, all laughter on the subject of falling out of a tree was gone, though the anger of a foreign Blaziken, no, make that any foreign _predator_, threatening the local pack of Mightyena, let alone _anyone_, in my territory still burned like a blazing, roaring fire, the fire inside me burning to have him _gone_ already.

I pushed myself up and jumped down, feeling the familiar _thump_ of solid ground under my feet. I heard the morning cries of the local Taillow and Zigzagoon, and saw the Alpha Mightyena sleeping close to the entrance of their den. This was my home. _And there's no way I'm gonna let some newbie come in here and kick me out, or worse,_ I thought. Instead of consoling me, the thought made me feel even worse, more anger building up. Maybe the cause was the 'or worse' part.

I walked up to the Blaziken, who was sitting up against the tree. "That's the last time I ever sleep on the ground," he said, smiling.

I growled. _You'll pay for what you said to Ight and Yena,_ I thought viciously, and some of it must have shown on my face, for he backed away.

_Well, I might as well get it over with,_ I thought, and accused, "You threatened the local Mightyena pack."

"No I didn't," he objected, looking shocked.

"Yes, you did," I insisted. "You told the Alpha Mightyena that if they didn't tell you where I was, you'd kill their pups."

"No, I didn't!" he said again, taken aback. "I simply asked them politely! I just wanted to talk, so I could find a way back home! If that's what they said, maybe they just want you to get rid of me!"

"You may not have noticed, but that's what _I_ want, too," I snapped back. So what if the Mightyena had lied about him threatening me? The fact was that they had led him over somehow, and we _all_ wanted him to leave. "This is _my_ territory, and you need to get out, and stay out."

He stood, offended. "What have I ever done to you??" he asked, sounding hurt.

I didn't care whether he was hurt or not. "You are _not_ allowed in _my_ territory, no male Blaziken is!!"

He looked confused. "What?"

I quickly got over my own shock at my slip-of-the-tongue. "I meant, no other Blaziken, whether they're male _or_ female." I was feeling very territorial just then, so it wasn't exactly a lie. "I am dominant over this piece of land, and will allow no other supreme predators to set foot on _my_ land."

He looked angry. "Well, fine, if that's the way you feel, I'll just go."

I smiled in victory. "That's right, get out and stay out."

Angrily he turned to leave, and started west, toward the desert I had told him lay on that side of my territory. He cast one last glance, but, seeing as I wasn't just about to repent, continued out.

I smiled in victory, and felt like letting out a triumphant roar. The eviction, kicking him out permanently, was in place. I relinquished my hold over dignity and roared, scaring most families into their burrows.

He heard it. He turned straight around

"Well, what are you waiting for?" I asked, my smile vanishing.

"You just declared that you had won a tremendous battle, when in reality I left of my own will," he growled angrily. I realized that I should have waited until he was out of earshot to roar, but I was ecstatic just then. The feeling of ecstasy converted itself into adrenaline as I heard him say, "For that, I will be sure there _is_ a _real_ fight."

I was confident in my own abilities, and said, "So be it, then. I'll have something _real_ to celebrate, a true victory against someone worth fighting."

He launched an attack, going for a sudden Double Kick. I prepared to dodge, but just before he came within range, he disappeared and I felt two hard blows to my back.

"You let your guard down!" he shouted at me. "Or have you never fought anyone worth fighting; are you overconfident?"

I growled angrily and shot out a Flamethrower directed at the heavens. He flinched. "That was a warning shot!!" I called. "You don't want to know what I can _really_ do!!"

"Yes, I do," he retorted. "Bring it on; this'll be the first fight that's a real challenge in a long time."

I ran at him, charging, and at the last second, jumped and landed behind him, using a Sky Uppercut. It didn't send him flying as it did most local Pokemon, but then again he wasn't 'most local Pokemon'. At least it did some damage. I was able to get a Blaze Kick in before he dodged, and I leaped into the tree, ready and waiting. My eyes taunted him with obvious confidence and complete control. This was _my_ arena, my home-field advantage. I win.

He used something called 'Double Team' and used it to climb the tree without me noticing which was real. Pretty soon I felt a powerful Fire Punch land on my right shoulder, knocking me out of the tree and landing me face first onto the ground, surrounded by those annoying illusions. I stood and roared a challenge. _Nobody knocks me out of my own tree._ I shot a Flamethrower at all of them, burning the real Blaziken and dissipating the illusions. I angrily snarled, rushing at the knocked-over Blaziken and picking him up.

"Not so easy to beat me, is it?" I asked quietly, and sent him flying with the strongest Sky Uppercut I could muster. He only flew a few feet, but it still caused a lot of damage.

He looked beaten, weary and bruised, but still stood. "I'm not giving up that easily!!" he shouted at me, confirming that the battle was still going.

"You're just desperate for pain, aren't you?" I asked, and rushed at him in a zigzag pattern. And a sudden powerful Fire attack hit me headlong and pushed me back a couple of feet. I fell over from the sudden hit.

"That was called 'Overheat'," he told me, walking up to me. He looked down. "Despite my damage, I am still able to pull off an attack like that, though I don't think I'll be attacking you in cold blood."

"Your mistake, then," I growled through clenched teeth, and rolled onto my back, using a Blaze Kick on the unsuspecting Blaziken.

He stepped back a couple steps, rubbing his chin. "That hurt."

"That's the point of a battle, isn't it?" I snapped, rolling onto my feet and standing. "To defeat your opponent by causing as much pain as possible until they give up."

He snarled and let another Overheat out. I dodged it, noticing that his attacks seemed to be getting weaker. He rushed at me, preferring hand-to-hand combat over his now-weakened firepower. I obliged him, pulling off a Sky Uppercut and Blaze Kick, though he just barely dodged both, and took minimum damage. He used Double Kick, and I, not seeing it, caught both and the top damage they could inflict. I snarled and tried just plain punches but that got nowhere. He caught my second, and smiling mischievously, threw me. I landed face-first onto the dirt, and could hardly get up. _No more hand-to-hand combat,_ I thought. _From now on it's long-range attacks._

I backed up, releasing a Flamethrower and going for the trees. Then an idea so desperate it just _had_ to work popped into my head. I smiled viciously, and, smile disappearing as I turned to face him, I stopped and waited for him to make a move.

He hesitated. Me stopping suddenly was certainly a bit suspicious, but as his pride as a male, and Blaziken, he couldn't turn down this challenge. He stepped back, and released an Overheat. I simply held out my claw and the Overheat faded away.

I snickered. This was too easy. He, in long-range terms, was wasted, and I certainly wasn't allowing him to fight up close. I smiled and let another Flamethrower go. He dodged and ran towards me, for an up-close-and-personal Fire Punch.

This was it. I leaped into the air…

…and delivered my special, hidden attack: _Aerial Ace._

He went down without a second thought.

I walked up to his fallen form. "I told you to get, so get."

Suddenly he was grinning and hit me with an up-close-and-personal Fire Punch. I stumbled backward, and as consequence, couldn't get my guard up in time. He used Double Kick, twice, and surprised me with an Aerial Ace of his own. I was down now, and understood what had happened. He had seen that I wasn't about to play fair on my own grounds, and so tricked me. I could hardly defend myself, but at some point during a Double Kick attack, I managed to leap out of the way. Unfortunately the second kick caught my foot, sending my leap spiraling out of control. I landed roughly on the ground a couple of yards away, and was still.

He came to stand over me, and placed his foot on my chest, holding me down. I sucked in a deep, sudden breath. It _hurt_.

"So, in the end, _I_ win," he gloated.


	5. Sweet Talk

I snarled and let loose a Flamethrower. This allowed me to get back on my feet, and pushed him back a bit.

"Hey, no fair, I won!!" he said, surprised, coughing in the sudden smoke.

"You _never_ hold a female down like that," I growled, suddenly filled with rage, though it was not uncontrollable.

"Oh, _I_ get it," he said, suddenly smug. He advanced, and I backed off, ready to attack. "Why do you think I came here in the first place?" I snarled, but he just laughed. "For a battle like that, that's what!!" This surprised me, as I was sure he was about to admit he was here for the season, for instincts.

I growled, carefully examining the situation. He had won. I had lost, though I hadn't admitted losing. Normally, if I was fighting a female, I would have lost my territory. It could be the same with this one… unless he chose to share…

_I'll _never _let myself be taken in like that,_ I told myself.

He came over to me, friendly, offering a claw. "I don't want to take your territory," he said, calmly enough.

I wrenched away. "You can keep it," I snarled. "I know what it means if territory is shared."

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, and I looked into his eyes and saw he really had absolutely no idea. I also saw something I didn't want to see. I looked down, horrified to feel myself blushing.

"Nothing, nothing whatsoever," I said, turning to go.

I felt a claw on my shoulder. "You really don't have to go," he insisted, looking at me with a sudden intensity that frightened me.

I wrenched away again. "No!!" I shouted, surprised to find myself so desperate to get away from here. From him. "You won it fair and square!! I'll just go find a new piece of land; I'm sure I can win against them, even if I can't win against someone of my own kind." I was embarrassed to find a tear rolling down my face. Luckily I wasn't facing him. Was I really so weak that I couldn't best another Blaziken??

He grabbed my shoulder, turning me around. "I must insist. You at least can get a night's rest before you leave – what's wrong?"

I burst out, "I'm a weakling!! I can't even beat another of my own kind. I can't beat any _real_ opponents; everyone here is too weak, too used to giving up to live, something my mother installed the practice of while it was hers." I was crying harder than ever.

He pulled me closer, into a hug. "It's nothing like that. I've been specifically trained to be the best; I've never lost a battle in my life. In fact," – here he pulled me to face him –"this battle has been the closest I've ever come to losing. You should be proud."

I pulled him into a hug, surprising even myself, still crying a bit. How can someone so foreign be so comforting??

That night, in a den closer to mountains, I pulled myself onto the hardly-ever-used bed of leaves. They were nice and dry, and made a satisfying crackling sound whenever any pressure was put on them. He was sitting against the southernmost wall, not really looking at me but looking at the scorched, blackened spots on the walls. His eyes moved around, looking at them, and eventually met mine. He asked me, "Why are certain areas all black? You said you've hardly ever been here."

I didn't seem to mind his company so much as I had before. "This is where Mom kept her first clutch. Children flaring up wasn't the rarest thing to happen, and around the age of ten, they commonly got into small fights over little things, or were just trying to level themselves up."

"What happened to them all?" he asked.

"A bunch of human poachers came to raid the territory," I said calmly. It was something I hadn't told many times, but I had gotten over it. "Mom died trying to save them all, and my brothers and sisters and clutch-mates were caught and taken away, far away." I paused, and added, "It's one of the reasons I hate humans so much, and despise tame Pokemon. How can there ever be such a relationship between a human and a Pokemon when the humans can kill and kidnap so easily?"

"My Trainer wasn't like that," he said quietly. "He wouldn't harm a fly, unless it was for training and battle. Even then, he would heal the Pokemon I had defeated afterward. All humans have different personalities, just like all Pokemon do." He shifted uncomfortably. "You speak of 'clutch-mates'. What do you mean?"

"'Clutch-mates' is the term used to identify those born at the same time I was," I clarified. "You know, more than one is born at one time, in one clutch, litter, so on, right? In all Pokemon it's the same. Normal brothers and sisters are those born at an earlier or later time than that particular clutch. However, I was in the first, so none were before me." I sighed heavily. "I wonder what life would be like if those humans hadn't come along."

He said nothing, just stared out at the stars visible from outside the den. Finally he asked, "What happened to your father?"

My eyes filled with tears, and he quickly tried to take it back, but I wouldn't let him. "The reason I wasn't kidnapped as well was because of him. He took me away from them, and taught me to hide in the trees and battle as I do now, in case I might ever need to use it. That's why I attack in cold-blood; why let a human have time to reach for the gun??"

"Did he die recently?" He asked, a bit hesitantly.

"Yes, only a measly five seasons ago, more than one year," I said, leaking tears. I rubbed my eyes on my arm and went outside to stare at the stars.

A short while later, he joined me. "Outside is beautiful at this time of night."

I said nothing, so he added, "As are you."

I flinched. "If you start saying things like that you'll have to leave," I informed him.

"What, can't take a compliment?" he asked gently, wondering why I was so upset all of a sudden.

"In this season," I began, careful of what to say, "males are always coming after me. Every 'compliment' could be interpreted as an invite. I prefer to leave such alone. I feel pressured, and I hate feeling pressured."

"Oh." He finally got it, and blushed. I looked questioningly at him. "Nothing, it's just that I didn't know why you were so uncomfortable. 'Tame' Pokemon know nothing of this. I – I didn't mean –"

"It's okay," I said, cutting him off, surprising even myself, yet again. "I mean, so long as – well, you get it."

"Yeah, I guess." He looked uncomfortable, and asked, "Would you rather I slept somewhere else for the night?"

I laughed, surprising myself for a third time _in one day_. "I don't really care. Hey, you never told me your name."

"It's Ziken," he said, finally able to answer something comfortably. "What's yours?"

"Blazer." I went back inside, feeling a bit cold, and he followed soon after.


	6. Invites? or Manners?

The next day, I got up early to go hunting. I left him, still asleep, trying not to disturb him. I went outside, feeling the light morning breeze ruffle my hair. I heard the local Taillow flock whistling contentedly, filling the morn with their beautiful music. This is my home. I sighed happily and headed off, toward the swamps, knowing that there was a hot spring somewhere in that direction, though I hadn't visited it since Dad died… of a vicious poison… a _human's _poison…

I stopped, trying not to let myself be overcome with emotion. Questions surfaced whenever I tried to do this, and I contemplated some of them before getting a hold of myself. The answers were clear, and I knew I needed a nice long soak, and besides that, lots of prey would be in the area. It shouldn't be too hard to snag a couple of Pidgey and a Sentret. I whistled happily, adding my tune to that of the Taillows, which they met with an outburst of twitters and chirps. I silenced myself as I came within hearing distance of the springs, and walked cautiously forward.

"So, anyway, we're really close to the boundaries of Sinnoh," a male human's voice clearly said. I froze, still hidden in the dense trees.

"Yeah, and it'll give us an easy way into Kanto," another human said.

"You've got yourselves all mixed up," a third human said, this one female. "Sinnoh is really far away from here; you've got to go through Orre, Johto, and Kanto, our goal, to get there."

Ziken came up slowly, quietly to me. I could tell it was him because of his scent, although he stayed hidden from me.

"Well, this sucks," the first male said.

_It's about to 'suck' a lot more,_ I thought viciously, _at least for you, anyway._

Ziken and I leaped out, attacking and catching the humans off guard. They ran for it, and we were able to dig into their supplies of food, saving us they trouble of hunting.

Despite being victorious, and full for once, I felt as though I had less dignity than ever before. "This is the _last_ time we scavenge," I said, and Ziken nodded, mouth full. Scavenging was for prey, and hunting was for predators and full-scale predators, such as me and him.

We soaked for a while in the hot springs, and eventually left, regretfully. I headed south, toward the rivers, and he followed me around, learning the land as though it were his own.

_Which it is, after that fight,_ my mind reminded me, but I pushed the thought away. It made me uncomfortable.

We talked for most of the way, not caring if anyone saw it. Soon every last Pokemon was scampering, bustling around with the news, _Blazer has a new friend! A new _male Blaziken _'friend'!!!_ This was usually met with cries of 'finally!!!', though out of hearing range of me. I knew though, and one thing was different: I didn't care. I was, for the first time since my father's death, completely and utterly happy.

There was one thing nagging at my perfect time, though. And for a while, I didn't know what it was, I only knew that it kept pushing the happy away, keeping my feet firmly on Hoenn, my head shut out from the clouds. In fact, I had the oddest feeling that it had been there for quite some time, even before Ziken's arrival. It was some sort of instinct that had arisen with the upcoming season, and was now nagging at me, though I didn't know what it was. I kept thinking that I'd never know anyway, and pushed it away; shut it up in a deep corner of my mind, out of the way of upcoming thoughts.

When we finally made it to the river, we had a nice, long, welcome drink. Many Pokemon who never would have approached me did so now, to examine Ziken with great curiosity. Most others who weren't brave enough to venture out into the open kept back at the sidelines, inside the brush, watching with big, rounded, curious eyes.

I finally lost my patience and snapped at a young Pikachu who had approached. She scurried back into the brush. Ziken looked at me questioningly.

"Let's go back," I said, thoroughly ticked, my patience being tested for the last time.

He sensed that this was not the best time to argue with me, and so we began walking back, though since we were out of topics to chat about, instead we raced from time to time. I won twice; Ziken won about seven times. Finally out of breath, we reached the den we had slept in the night before.

"After you," he offered politely. I didn't need something _else_ to push at me; I was ticked enough. His 'city' manners were invites out here, and despite all I had told him, he refused to give them up. I sighed and went inside, the fight suddenly leaving me. I lay down on my crackling leaf bed, struggled into a comfortable position, and relaxed. He came in and sat beside me, keeping watch.

A little later I fell into a deep, irreversible sleep.


	7. Paopu in Pokemon?

I awoke slowly. Not wanting to relinquish my grip on sleep, I kept my eyes closed. I noticed more warmth than my bed would naturally provide, and a slight pressure over my stomach.

_That's strange,_ I thought, opening one eye a crack. _Ack!_ It took all I had in me not to cry out.

Ziken was lying right next to me, his arm around me, too close for comfort. _Then why do I feel so calm?_

I tried to free myself gently, hoping he would stay asleep. My hopes were in vain. At my slightest movement he awoke, and, instead of jumping up and apologizing, his grip tightened and he smiled at me peacefully, untroubled at all.

"Let go!" I whispered, trying to break free.

"Not a chance," he whispered back, coming closer to me. "I am too cold, and you are too warm."

"You're pressuring me!" I cried quietly, hoping he'd let go at that.

My hopes were dispelled when he laughed silently and said, "You know what? Right now, I really don't care." He slid his other arm under my neck, pulling me closer than ever.

I frantically reached behind me for a giant leaf I had full of water for midnight thirst and dumped it all over him.

He shook himself and spluttered, "What happened?" Once he saw he backed away, pushing himself up against the empty air of the entrance to the den and fell over backwards.

I slid outside, shivering, walking over to and standing at the edge of the clearing. I turned to face him. "Well? Explain yourself!" I demanded.

"I – I'm sorry!" he spluttered, confused and now confronted. "I didn't know I was awake! I'm sorry!"

"So you thought it was a dream?" He flinched, and I knew why. If he thought it was a dream he had either had the same dream before, or he had been thinking about this recently, most likely before he fell asleep. I, however, remained cold and indifferent. "We are friends, nothing more, and I refuse to be anything more. If you want something more, go find yourself another Blaziken, in another territory, far, far away from mine."

He hung his head. "I'm sorry," he insisted, though submissively. "It wasn't a dream, I just wasn't fully aware yet, not responsible for how I acted. Please don't kick me out; I don't want to go back to the humans!" he sobbed suddenly, desperate to stay in the wild.

I eyed him angrily, then repented. "Alright, you can stay, though maybe we should have our own separate rooms." Fully aware that I wasn't even moving him to another den, and wary of my decision, I sighed and went back inside and began to dig.

"What are you doing?" he asked, coming inside.

"Well, you need a room, don't you?" I answered, and he joined me in digging. It took most of the day, and, while even stopping for lunch, we were still ravenous afterward and went our separate ways hunting, regrouping at the den at sunset.

Unbenounced to him, I had ended my hunting early to move a soft bed of dry, crackling leaves into his room, and one giant leaf, like mine, to hold water for him at night. I even took the liberty of filling them each with the clearest, freshest mountain spring water, from the falls nearby, where the melted snow ran into a small pond belonging to a Poliwhirl family (I got it before it reached the falls, at a bend in the creek above). When he moved into his room he was speechless, and for a moment I was proud of myself. It looked as though I had forgiven him for that morning, though I hadn't really, just tolerated his presence and thought that with his room fully equipped he would be less likely to move out, into the other room that I was in. Then he insisted on thanking me, which eventually got annoying. I settled down for the night.

The next day, a sudden roar of thunder woke me. I was a bit surprised, and Ziken, still half-asleep, dragged himself half-out of his room to ask me why I was stomping on his roof. A few seconds later he realized what he had said, blushed, saw the storm, groaned, and dragged himself back into his room. I settled myself into a comfortable position and prepared to wait out the storm, but fell asleep.

A few hours past what my stomach told me had been a wasted lunchtime, I awoke, completely and fully aware that I was alone in the den. I sat up, looked around, and Ziken suddenly rushed inside, out of the downpour, sodden and soaked but triumphant and holding many Berries that grew next to the clearing, in a nearby grove.

"Thanks, Ziken," I said gratefully, and he set the fruit down and shook his mane vigorously to get the water out.

"Thanks, Ziken," I said, this time a little less gratefully and a little more annoyed.

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly, and dove into a watermelon and a Berry that very much resembled a watermelon, the Watmel Berry.

I contented myself with a Berry that looked a bit like a star, all yellow and with five rounded points, a leaf and stem on the very top point. I bit into it. It was very good. It was sweet and tangy, a perfect blend, and I moaned contentedly as the juice ran into my mouth, some missing it and running down my chin. "Hey, Ziken, where'd you get this?"

He looked confused. "There were only two. I planted the other so it could grow back, and in this storm it should. What berry is it?"

"I dunno." I shook my head, juice running down my arm. I bent to lap it up. "It's delicious, though. Here, you deserve some." Breaking off the two remaining points, I jammed the middle into my mouth, only to discover an enormous pit. I placed the pit on the edge of my leaf full of mountain river water, hoping that we could plant it. I gave the points to Ziken, licking my beak and reaching for a Razz and Bluk. "These two Berries go great together, they grow in great quantities and a short four hours, and even the seeds are edible." I noticed he hadn't touched the chunks of the star-shaped Berry I had given him. "Come on, Ziken, try them."

He smiled at me, but then the smile dropped and he went back to staring at the fruit as though it were poisonous.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. This was not at all like him.

"I just can't shake the feeling that I shouldn't have touched that tree," he admitted. "Even if I did plant the other. These whatever-they-ares are new and suspicious and I'm just not sure if they belong here."

"Of course they do," I insisted, taking a small bite of both the Razz and the Bluk. I swallowed the delicious taste, then continued, "We may have just discovered it, that's all. Humans discover stuff all the time! Besides, it's really good."

He sighed, and took a small nibble of one. The next second he was jamming the fruit in his mouth ravenously, and decided to try the Razz-Bluk combination I had.

Little did I know that the fruit had been sent here, from some other dimension, directly for me and Ziken. Little did I know that I had just unwittingly bound our futures together.


End file.
